title: Fast DNA hybridization on a microfluidic mixing device based on pneumatic driving.
abstract: A novel fluid mixing strategy was developed which significantly enhanced the efficiency of DNA hybridization. A pneumatic micro-mixing device consisting of two pneumatic chambers and an underneath DNA microarray chamber was built up. The fluid in the array chamber was pneumatically pumped alternately by the two pneumatic chambers. The chaotic oscillatory flow caused by the pumping greatly intensified the fluidic mixing. A homogeneous distribution of the tracer dye solution in the microarray chamber was observed after 2s mixing with a pumping frequency of 24 Hz. Microarray DNA hybridization was substantially accelerated using this device, and the fluorescence intensity showed a plateau after oscillating 30s at room temperature. The corresponding signal level of the dynamic hybridization was 12.5-fold higher than that of the static hybridization performed at 42°C. A signal-to-noise ratio of 117 was achieved and the nonspecific adsorption of the targets to the sample array was minimized, which might be attributed to the strong shearing force generated during the pneumatic mixing process.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Analytical Sciences, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xuemin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiufeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Xiangwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Zhangrun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization
chemical_list: D004247:DNA